JP3416699B2 - Operation pen holding structure - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation pen holding structure capable of accommodating and holding an operation pen, such as an input pen for handwriting input, for performing a predetermined operation on the electronic device side in the electronic device side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-145437, a storage unit for storing an input pen in a main body of an electronic device for handwriting with an input pen and a direction for pushing the input pen into the storage unit are disclosed. A plate spring as a biasing means, a lock plate as a locking means having a locking protrusion that engages with a groove formed on the outer circumference of the input pen and locks the input pen at the storage position, and unlocks the lock plate. There is a release button that allows the input pen to be stored inside the electronic device.The method of locking the input pen is to push the input pen into the storage section so that the lock plate tilts downward at the tip of the input pen. The input pen can be inserted to a predetermined position inside the storage section by pushing down the lock plate, and the locking projection of the lock plate fits into the groove on the outer circumference of the input pen at this predetermined position. It is held in part position. When the input pen is taken out of the storage part, the release button is pushed down to disengage the locking projection of the lock plate from the groove of the input pen, and the input pen is pushed out of the storage part by the force of the leaf spring. Is disclosed.

In contrast to the input pen holding method described in the above publication, a part for locking the input pen is not used,
There is also a method of holding the input pen by providing a protrusion on a cabinet or the like where the input pen is stored, and by inserting a groove on the outer circumference of the input pen into the protrusion.

[0004]

In any case, in the input pen holding system in which a groove is provided on the outer circumference of the input pen to hold the input pen and a lock mechanism is locked in the groove, There is a problem that the input pen is easily scratched by rubbing the locking protrusion and the input pen outer peripheral groove when inserting and removing the input pen into and from the storage portion. There is also a problem that the locking projection and the input pen outer peripheral groove rub against each other due to repeated insertion and removal, which changes the operation force when the input pen is inserted and removed.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the operation pen from being damaged by the insertion / removal operation of the operation pen such as the input pen, and to make the operation force of the operation pen reliable and stable for a long period of time, and moreover, to the storage section. The main problem to be solved is to stabilize the holding of all operating pens.

Other problems to be solved in the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a locking member that locks and holds an operation pen in an operation pen storage portion of an electronic device when operating the operation pen at a predetermined insertion position. Is displaced from the outside of the operation pen passage to the locking position, and when the operation pen is pulled out, it is displaced from the locking position to the outside of the operation pen passage. The above-mentioned problems are solved by being inserted and removed without rubbing against the locking member.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An operating pen holding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a portable electronic device 2 such as an electronic notebook provided with a structure for holding an input pen as an operation pen of the present invention includes a device body 4 and a hinge portion 6 on the rear end side thereof. And a protective cover 7 which is attached to the device body 4 so as to be openable and closable. An input / output unit 8 is provided on the upper surface of the device body 4. The input / output unit 8 is a dot matrix type liquid crystal display unit and a resin input pen 1 on the liquid crystal display unit.
And a tablet unit made of a transparent analog resistance film system for inputting / outputting information at 0 is arranged. A storage portion 12 for the input pen 10 is formed on the rear end side of the device body 4, and the input pen 10 can be held in the storage portion 12 so that it can be inserted and removed.

A more detailed structure of the input pen 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The input pen 10 has a rounded tip portion 14 so as not to be damaged by contact with the tablet portion of the input / output portion 8. have. As the material of the tip portion 14, a material that can hold a certain amount of resistance upon contact with the input / output portion 8 and can further suppress generation of static electricity is selected. With such a material, the surface of the tip portion 14 of the input pen 10 may be covered with that material. The input pen 10 also has an annular groove 16 for holding formed near the tip portion 14, and a slip stopper 18 used when the input pen 10 is taken out from the device body 4 is provided on the other end side of the input pen 10. It is provided so as to project to the side.

An input pen lock component used in the input pen holding structure according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
It is roughly divided into a slide member 22 and an arm member 24. The slide member 22 has a bow-shaped resin spring part 26 for restricting the movement of the slide member 22, a receiving rib 28 of the input pen 10, and a locking projection part 30, and also has guide grooves 31, 31. Are formed. Spring part 26
Has a half-moon shaped locking projection 32 in the center. The arm member 24 has a receiving rib 33 for receiving the input pen 10 on one end side and a guide rib 34 on the center side. Receiving rib 32
Has an arc-shaped, for example, semi-circular receiving surface 36 that can fit into the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10. Arm member 24
3 has such a strength that the guide rib 34 is moved in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 so that the other end side, which is a connection point with the slide member 22, is bent as a rotation fulcrum 38, that is, a spring property. Such a lock component 20 is arranged inside the input pen storage portion 12 on the rear side of the device body 4 of the electronic device 2.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cabinet structure on the device body 4 side will be described. This cabinet has an insertion opening 40 into which the input pen 10 is inserted in the direction of the arrow. A guide 42 is provided in the insertion port 40 in parallel with the input pen inserting / removing direction, thereby forming an input pen guide 44 capable of inserting / removing the input pen 10. A pair of upper and lower guides 46, 48 having a wide facing distance, and a guide 50 having a narrow facing distance facing the end side opening of the input pen guide 44.
52 and the storage part 5 of the slide member 22 of the lock component 20.
4 are formed. The storage part 54 is a lock part 20.
The slide member 22 is provided with two concave portions 56 and 58 along the input pen inserting / pulling-out direction with which the convex portion 32 at the center of the spring portion 26 can be engaged. The guide 46 is parallel to the insertion / removal direction of the input pen 10, and the guide 48 has the front half on the side facing the input pen guide 44 inclined downward with respect to the insertion / removal direction and the rear half parallel to the insertion / removal direction. Further, the recess 58 is the recess 56.
It has a bottom surface that is inclined downward from the side toward the input pen guide 44 side.

7 and 8 show an input pen holding structure in which the lock part 20 is assembled to the cabinet structure of the apparatus body. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the input pen 10 is inserted in the input pen storage portion 12 of the device body 4,
FIG. 8 shows a state in which the input pen 10 is slightly pulled out from the input pen storage section 12. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the holding of the input pen by the input pen holding structure of the embodiment of the present invention and the insertion / removal operation thereof will be described.

First, the insertion operation of the input pen 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. When the input pen 10 is inserted into the insertion opening 40 from the tip portion 14 side thereof, the input pen 1
0 is inserted into the guide 44. When the tip portion 14 of the input pen 10 is made to reach the receiving rib 28 of the slide portion 24 of the lock component 20 by this insertion, the slide member 22 is moved by the input pen 10 via the receiving rib 28. As a result of being pressed and moved in the inserting direction of the spring part 26, the locking convex part 32 of the spring part 26 enters the concave part 56 on the back side of the device body by the elasticity of the spring part 26, and
The arm member 24 is pressed upward from the guide 48 of the device body, and one end side of the arm member 24 is centered on the rotation fulcrum 38 and the input pen 10
The input rib 10 is pivotally displaced in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the receiving rib 33 at one end thereof is inserted into the passage from outside the passage of the input pen 10 and fits into the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10.
In this way, the input pen 10 is locked and held.

The extraction operation of the input pen 10 will now be described with reference to FIG. 8. When the slip stopper 18 of the input pen 10 is pulled out by the fingers in the extraction direction which is the front side, the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10 Since the receiving rib 33 of the arm member 24 is fitted to the lock member 20, the entire lock component 20 is pulled in the pull-out direction as the input pen 10 is pulled out. As a result, the locking projection of the spring portion 26 of the slide member 22 is pulled. 32 is moved from the recess 56 side provided in the cabinet of the device body 4 to the recess 58 side. By the movement of the slide member 22 in this way, the pressing of the arm member 24 from the guide 48 is relaxed, and the receiving rib 33 on the one end side of the arm member 24 is displaced from the inside of the passage of the input pen 10 to the outside of the passage. As a result, the fitting between the receiving rib 33 and the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10 is released, and the input pen 10 is removed.
Will be released from holding.

The bottom surface of the recess 58 is the input pen 1.
Since the locking projection 32 of the spring portion 26 is disengaged from the recess 56 in the extraction direction toward the recess 58, the locking projection 3 of the spring portion 26 is inclined downward in the extraction direction of 0.
The pressing force on the inclined bottom surface of the second concave portion 58 becomes small,
As a result, the receiving rib 33 on the other end side of the arm portion 24 can be easily and surely removed from the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10, and when the input pen 10 is pulled out, the input pen 10 is placed on one end side of the arm member 24. Since the sliding portion 22 is biased in the pulling-out direction by the elasticity of the spring portion 26 at the same time as being not scratched and damaged, the operation force required for pulling out the input pen 10 can be small.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the slide member 22 is moved in the insertion / removal direction in accordance with the insertion / removal operation of the input pen 10 in the housing portion 12 of the input pen 10 on the electronic device body 4 side. As a result, the arm member 24 rotates about the rotation fulcrum 38 accordingly, so that the receiving rib 33 on the other end side of the arm member 24 is displaced on the circle line having the rotation radius. Specifically, the arm member 24 is disengaged from the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10 by being displaced in a direction tangential to the circular line, that is, in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction, but the direction of displacement of the arm member 24 is not necessarily vertical. However, the direction is not limited to this, and any direction that allows engagement and disengagement with the annular groove 16 of the input pen 10 may be used.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a spring is provided on the inner wall of the accommodating portion 54, and the sliding member 22 of the lock component 20 in the accommodating portion 54 is pulled out by the spring in the direction of extracting the input pen 10. Alternatively, the force required for the withdrawal operation of the input pen 10 may be reduced. However, in the case of urging with this spring, some insertion operation force is required to resist the force of the spring in the insertion operation of the input pen 10, but the urging force of the spring may be adjusted.

It should be noted that the operating pen in each of the above-mentioned claims is not narrowly construed as a pen such as an input pen used for an upper input operation with respect to an electronic device, and it is necessary to operate the electronic device. All rod-shaped media used should be broadly construed as included in the operating pen.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the slide member 22 of the lock component 20 has a moving mode as a slide for convenience of explanation, but the significance of this slide is not limited to a normal slide but is similar to that. It is broadly construed to include all movement modes.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lock is provided in the operation pen storage portion of the electronic device and is locked at a predetermined locking position with respect to the operation pen in the operation pen storage portion and holds the same. The member is displaced from the outside of the operation pen passage to the locking position when the operation pen is operated to the predetermined insertion position, and is displaced from the engagement position to the outside of the operation pen passage when the operation pen is pulled out. As a result of the operation pen not being rubbed by the locking member when it is inserted into or removed from the storage section, the operation pen is not damaged by the insertion or removal operation into or from the storage section.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the slide member is slid in the insertion / removal direction by the insertion / removal operation of the operation pen in the operation pen storage portion of the electronic device, and the operation pen is moved by the movement of the slide member in the insertion direction. The operation pen passage is introduced from the outside of the passage into the passage and engages with the operation pen to hold the operation pen in the storage portion, and the engagement with the operation pen is released by the movement of the slide member in the withdrawing direction, and the operation pen passage Since it has an arm member that can be retracted to the outside, the operation pen does not rub against the arm member when it is inserted into or removed from the storage unit.
A structure that is not damaged by insertion / removal operation into / from the storage part, and has a compact structure because the slide member slides in the insertion / removal direction and the arm member moves in and out of the passage in response to this. The operation pen can be held securely with.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the locking direction of the arm member with respect to the operation pen is the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide member, the operation pen is prevented from being further damaged by the insertion / removal operation. Complete.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the slide member has a spring portion that is engaged with an engaging portion on the electronic device side at a predetermined position in the insertion direction of the operation pen, and the slide member of the operation pen is provided. Since the elastic force of the spring portion is used to urge in the extraction direction when the engagement with the engaging portion is released by the extraction operation, the force required for the operation pen extraction operation is small. The storage operation of the storage portion of the completed operation pen is facilitated, and the usability of the electronic device is improved.

According to the invention of claim 5, the electronic device side has an inclined surface inclined from the engaging portion of the electronic device toward the extracting direction side, and the spring portion of the slide member engages with the engaging portion. After the stop is released, the inclined member urges the slide member in the extracting direction, so that the arm member is reliably released from the operation pen.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the other end of the arm member is integrally connected to the slide member, and the electronic device side is connected to the slide member with the continuous position as a pivot. Since one end side is elastically displaced by the guide member and engages with and disengages from the operating pen, one end side of the arm member can be securely engaged with and disengaged from the operating pen.

According to the invention of claim 7, one end side of the arm member has a rib having an arc-shaped receiving surface that can be engaged with and disengaged from the annular groove of the operation pen, so that the arm is provided in the annular groove of the operation pen. The one end side of the member can be engaged and disengaged more reliably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an electronic device having an input pen holding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention and an input pen.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the input pen.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lock component.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the lock component.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the lock component.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view from the plane of the main part of the electronic device in a state where the lock parts are not assembled.

7A and 7B show a main part of the electronic device in a state where a lock part is assembled and an input pen is inserted, FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view from the plane, FIG. 7B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. ) Is a sectional view taken along line AA of (a)

FIG. 8 shows a main part of the electronic device in a state where a lock part is assembled and an input pen is slightly pulled out, (a) is a cross-sectional view from the plane, (b) is a partially enlarged view of (a),
(C) is a sectional view taken along line AA of (a).

[Explanation of symbols]

2 electronic devices 4 device body 10 input pen 12 Input pen storage 14 Input pen tip 16 input pen ring groove 20 lock parts 22 Slide member 24 Arm member 26 Resin spring part 28 Rib for receiving 32 Locking protrusion 33 Receiving rib

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-9-114574 (JP, A) JP-A-9-6516 (JP, A) JP-A-8-314573 (JP, A) JP-A-8- 179853 (JP, A) JP-A-8-147088 (JP, A) JP-A-6-302309 (JP, A) JP-A-6-138999 (JP, A) JP-A-6-131099 (JP, A) JP 5-282090 (JP, A) JP 5-143218 (JP, A) Actual development 5-92830 (JP, U) Actual 61-176373 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 3/03 G06F 3/033-3/037

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A locking member, which is provided in an operation pen storage portion of an electronic device and which locks and holds the operation pen in the operation pen storage portion at a predetermined locking position, holds the operation pen of the operation pen. When the operation pen is operated to a predetermined insertion position, it is displaced from the outside of the operation pen path to the locking position, and when the operation pen is extracted, it is interlocked with the operation in the extraction direction of the operation pen.
The operating pen holding structure is characterized in that the engaging member is displaced from the engaging position to the outside of the operating pen passage. 2. A slide member that is slid in the insertion / removal direction by inserting / removing the operation pen in / from the operation pen storage portion of an electronic device, and a slide member is moved in the insertion direction into the passage from outside the operation pen passage. The operation pen is engaged with the operation pen to hold it in the storage section and to move the slide member in the withdrawing direction.
An operation pen holding structure comprising: an arm member which is interlocked with and disengaged from the operation pen and retracted outside the operation pen passage. 3. The operation pen holding structure according to claim 1, wherein a locking direction of the arm member with respect to the operation pen is a direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the slide member. 4. The slide member has a spring portion that is engaged with an engagement portion on the electronic device side at a predetermined position in the insertion direction of the operation pen, and the slide portion is connected to the engagement portion by an operation of pulling out the operation pen. The operation pen holding structure according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a structure for urging the spring portion to be urged in the extraction direction when the lock is released. 5. The electronic device side has an inclined surface which is inclined from the engaging portion of the electronic device toward the extracting direction side, and the spring portion of the slide member is released after the engagement with the engaging portion is released. The operation pen holding structure according to claim 4, wherein the inclined member biases the slide member in the extracting direction. 6. The other end of the arm member is integrally connected to the slide member, and one end of the arm member is elastically displaced by a guide member on the electronic device side as the slide member moves with the connecting portion as a fulcrum. The operation pen holding structure according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the operation pen holding structure is engaged with and disengaged from the operation pen. 7. The operation pen holding structure according to claim 6, wherein one end side of the arm member has a rib having an arc-shaped receiving surface that can be engaged with and disengaged from an annular groove of the operation pen.